The Perpetual Ailment Of A Perpetual Child
by EverythingXBurrito
Summary: Most people, at the age of twenty, would find themselves embarassed to be watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal and a carefree smile. But, then again, Cora Piccolo Bambino was never most people. DinoXOC
1. Chapter 1

Most people, at the age of twenty, would find themselves embarrassed to be watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal and a carefree smile. But, then again, Cora Piccolo Bambino was never most people. Instead of being serious, or even somewhat caring, she ran away from all responsibility whenever it presented itself. She was still afraid of closet monsters, her mind was drifty and unfocused, and, in every way possible, she was exactly as her last and middle name. Cora was a little baby. Though she was twenty, her body was that of a fifteen year old and her brain, that of a ten year old. A wise, well-educated, ten year old.

And it was the combination of those two things that had landed her in the Namimori General Hospital.

_"Before we begin today's lessons, I'll introduce another exchange student named... Cora Bambino?" the elderly, Japanese teacher peered around the room as he spoke. His glass covered eyes searched eagerly for whoever the child might be. Hopefully, she'd be one of the gorgeous, statuesque, Italian models he saw in the fashion magazines his wife adored so much. That would be a treat, seeing as said wife was turning to gray hair and fat. He had once hated to admit it, but now he welcomed the notion that his marriage was crumbling like a biscuit. Perhaps, soon, it would become so unbearable the dreaded woman would leave him and he could go in search for a young, fresh female. Though, on a teacher's salary, that would only happen in his vivid fantasies._

_"I'm here!" a small voice called from somewhere not quite in the room. The child's vocals sounded like they might belong to the Italian model the vaguely creepy teacher was hoping for. She sounded a bit squeaky but, in the right situation, high pitched voices could be attractive. A blur passed through his peripheral vision sharply before the clap of bare feet slapping against tile flooring echoed through his ears. If this girl wasn't as amazing as he hoped, he'd have to chastise her for not wearing shoes inside school. the same sweet voice rang again,_

_"Sorry, I got curious about the light so I climbed up there!"_

_The teacher turned his gaze to the new student he'd be attending to, heart beating with anticipation. Finally, he settled his eyes on her. And was immediately deflated. There was no tall, beautiful female before him, simply a less than stunning blob. Before him stood a rather homely child, her face smeared with dirt and debris from some outside adventure. She looked to be fifteen on the dot, and was dressed in an ironed and pristine Namimori uniform. The only two outstanding features on her happened to be a pair of large breasts and, the lesser looked at, a pair of steely gray eyes. She smiled up at her superior with unimpressive, but still vibrant, lips. Her hair was a soft blonde, the color of sweet butter with go-given streaks of dirt brown running through it. The fur had been pulled back with a purple headband, this particular one decorated by a unicorn, to form a mane of sorts. As a finishing touch to her childish looks, freckles dotted the area around the bridge of her nose and on the cheeks beneath her eyes._

_"Don't go climbing around on school property! And put some shoes on..." the teacher said, turning sour rather quickly. His anger was met, rather grossly, by a foot being forced into his face. The young woman frowned in confusion as she spoke,_

_"But my feet are gorgeous!" she let out a cutesy giggle before running to her seat. Cora Bambino, the Little Baby of the mafia world, went skipping back to her seat with a grin. Her youthful ways had earned her such a nickname, though it wasn't very creative seeing as the words were also her middle and last names. The family she belonged to was known for being absolutely adorably psychotic in their ways, and she carried on their tradition with perfection. For the words most often used to describe her were, stupid, naive, sadistic, and adorable. And, even more frequently than the others, sick. Cora was perpetually ill, whether it be the simple sniffle she was experiencing that day or the vomiting blood which happened far too often didn't matter._

_She couldn't remember the last time she'd been well, and neither could any member of her current mafia family. Cora belonged to the Chiavarones, a group headed by Mister Bronco Dino. She was the supplier, ranging from typical knives and guns to colonial artifacts and collectible lunch pales, her job was to go out and find whatever was requested. And, despite the tiny brain that resided behind her freckled face, she managed that with extremely seasoned abilities. It was the perfect job for someone like her, no real pressure because of the laid back disposition her boss observed but just enough that she felt driven to actually procure the required device._

_Currently, her boss was after someone he asked for often. Information. The Little Baby was to travel to Japan, as she had, and assure that a boy named Tuna Saw, or something along those lines, was residing in Namimori. Secondary jobs were to scout out the perfect hotel with enough rooms for all of the Chiavarone's men and to discover where Tuna Saw lived. Cora probably should have been taking her job a bit more seriously, but she was having too much fun being a student. Her tiny body made her the perfect candidate to carry out such a job because a person can be made up to look much older but never to appear younger than they already do._

_"Well, now that that's done we can continue..." the teacher's words blended into the background as Cora let out an impressively gruesome cough. She pulled a small vial of cough syrup from her pocket and slurped it down happily. Her tastes had adapted to enjoy the grotesque flavorings of medicine, though she often fussed when she had to take them simply for the sake of fussing. Sometimes her boss would have to hold her down so she'd take her pills, only because she felt like misbehaving. Cora was a stupidly childish woman. She'd attempted at taking college classes at one point, but flunked out in the first semester because of truancy issues. Apparently, her university was next to a fantastic beach which was too much for her mind to handle. Not to mention, the most work she did in that class was doodle a panda on one of her exams._

_Cora waited patiently for the bell to ring and release her from the shackles of schooling. She'd only been in the desk for about five minutes but already felt painfully trapped. The woman pulled a grainy photo from it's spot tucked in the waist of her skirt. Apparently, she was searching for a brunette whose hair seemed absolutely comical. But even more hilarious then his head was the body that lied beneath it. He certainly didn't seem to be mafia boss material, scrawny and bland. Cora snickered, trying to hold it back but only succeeding in coughing loudly. A few flecks of blood landed on her arm and desk, prompting her to raise her hand. For someone constantly ailed, it really wasn't that much of a problem, but Cora's ten year old mind told her otherwise._

_"What is it?" the teacher stopped his lesson to inquire. Cora pointed blankly to her desk, in pain but still managing to smile,_

_"Oh, yeah, I'm dying."_

"... So that's why I'm in the hospital! But it's nothing to worry about, the doctor says I'll be fine." Cora nodded, holding a block of plastic and technology to her ear. She had received a call from her boss and had taken about an hour eagerly explaining her previous day while an impatient doctor sat by her bed, waiting to preform a few tests.

"I most certainly did not say that. You might be seriously ill you-" the man spoke up from his seat next to Cora, hoping to get a point across but being brutally interrupted.

"Just fine!" the woman glared over at her medical helper, a hint of danger in her steel colored eyes. She had a strange grin plastered upon her cheeks, almost permanently glued over her lips. Cora fiddled with the empty bowl in her lap, cackling rather loudly. Most people would be apprehensive about coughing up blood but, then again, Cora Piccolo Bambino was not most people.

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><p><em><strong>So, just an odd pet project I've been working on~ I don't think Dino gets enough love! Anyway... YOU MUST REVIEW. And fav and sub and all that shiz~ It probably doesn't seem very good now, but it's only the prologue. I'll continue if more peoples review, so get on it. <strong>_

_**~EXB**_


	2. Chapter 2

"You coughed up blood! How are you at school?" the same brooding teacher poked a finger at Cora's sternum. She giggled with excitement, throwing her hands into the air. Cora was amazingly ticklish and the thought of her hospital escapades put a smile upon her rosy cheeks. The hundreds of pudding cups shoved in her backpack were evidence that she'd had an eventful night. She'd been walking around in the hallways stealing teddy bears and towels until about two in the morning. Then a nurse had caught her taking files from behind her desk and had, of course, scolded her brutally.

"I just started walking and I ended up here! It's really nothing to worry about." Cora swatted her fingers about as she spoke. She'd left the hospital after being reprimanded, skipping away as the doctor came running to catch her. Such a childish woman wanted nothing more than unadulterated adventure. After all, she'd joined the Chiavarone for that reason. Cora regarded adventure as her reason for life. She'd had a wonderful time playing chess in the park with a homeless man, running away from a group of rapists, and helping the same hobo steal from a convenience store. Most people would have ignored the amazing time one could have doing such dangerous things, but Cora looked at life with a different perspective. She found the opportunity for a wondrous time in every situation, even in sad ones.

The funeral held for one of Dino's men had gone from a dreaded occasion to something actually enjoyable with Cora's help. She had the peculiar habit of making everything she could fun. Probably because she was so naive to society's true nature. Being such a child was somewhat of a blessing, when thought about with Cora's outlook. Her constant and blatant optimism made her life much better than that of a hardened business man. It seemed as though Cora had been born forcing excitement on things, but it had honestly taken her a while to get where she was. As sad as it may be, Cora's overly bright perspective on things was a way of compensating.

"Just take a seat then..." the teacher was severely fed up with Cora's existence. Why couldn't she be drop dead gorgeous? Why did she have to be so homely?

"Okay!" Cora snickered. She jumped into the man's desk chair with a laugh. The teacher hadn't specified where to sit, so why not take his spot? Cora found it hilarious but, unfortunately, the person before her did not. Playing mind games with a sexy Italian model would be fine by him, however, Cora was nothing more than a cartoon loving, stuffed animal snuggling, picture book reading supplier. And she wouldn't want to be anything else.

"Miss Bambino, I am on my last nerve-" the male began, his eye twitching as Cora cut him off.

"Fine... But my boss would kick you if he were here!" she grumbled. Dino wouldn't honestly harm Cora's mentor, but she liked to think he would. The two were very close friends, perhaps so close as to be described as best friends. Though that didn't translate into Dino going after a teacher for telling Cora to take her seat. She did as she was told and headed back to her desk. A few of the children in the room gave her odd glances when she passed by, skeptic of her carefree ways, though most simply ignored her. Cora grinned to herself. She was used to receiving both confused glares and uninterested head turns and getting the utmost satisfaction from them. Being looked at, recognized in any way, made her excited just like being inconspicuous and going unnoticed made her feel like a spy. Every, once in a while when no one was around, she pretended to be a secret agent or a ninja or something amazing. Even though being a supplier was already quite spectacular.

Cora loved her job so much it was strange. She couldn't imagine following any other profession or living in any other way. Years ago, Cora would have been promised to a job of pain and responsibility, but she had long since run away from that. One day, her life would catch up with her and probably cause an epic amount of discomfort. But until then Cora would live on dealing with as little pressure as possible. For the one thing that terrified her more than anything else was responsibility. Having to take care of other people, having to listen to others requests, it was all more frightening to her than the most gruesome of monsters. Cora shivered. She didn't want to think about such a horrid subject. In fact, all she wanted to do was go find the Tuna kid so she could go home. There was far too much work in a school for Cora to be comfortable.

With a slight frown now pressed on her rosy cheeks, Cora slink out of the classroom. Her thoughts stopped her from heeding the teacher's protests. What if some of that responsibility were to come back? Cora pivoted on her heels, slamming her head into the wall in anger. She was attempting to stop herself from thinking so much, confused by her focus. Normally, Cora's mind was a scattered mess occupied by the dream of having a fleet of pandas and riding them through town with a group of midget huntsmen. Of course, such dreams were outlandish and crazed, but they kept Cora happy. She'd already managed to train a panda to be ridden, so the next step was to get together fleet. Cora's dream of midgets and pandas managed to banish her notions of responsibility into the recesses of her mind. For now at least.

She was hoping to spot Tuna somewhere around the school, but that didn't seem to be happening. Cora desperately wanted the rest of her family to come to Japan so she wouldn't have to be all alone for the night. Yesterday, she'd spent her time with a doctor in a facility filled to the brim with people, but tonight she'd be forced to sleep in solitude. That always seemed to be the worst for Cora, someone who was absolutely mortified by the idea of a monster lurking under her bed or in her closet. She didn't think anyone would help put her to bed in the manner she was accustomed to. As embarrassing as it would be for a woman her age, Cora always had Dino or Romario check her room for evil beings and tuck her in at night.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" something swept up behind Cora, wrapping an arm around her waist. It shoved against a wall, the force so great one of her teeth came flying out of her mouth. Cora burst into a howling flurry of tears and snot. Her vision blurred with saltwater, all she could make out was a pair of cold green eyes and a mop of gray hair.

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><p><em><strong>YAY~ I finally finished this! Sorry if it took me a while, I've been super sick for a week now and you can't write when you're sleeping all day... Anyways, sorry if this seemed a little short, I just like to stop at points of suspense or when things line up perfectly right. Don't forget to review because everytime you fail to send feedback a ten year old minded twenty year old sheds a tear! <strong>_

_**~EXB**_


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